Mouse Movement Makes Game Lag (Solved!)

I installed a new game on my PC last week with the expectation that everything would go smoothly and that I would enjoy playing it on Sunday night. But because my PC had other plans, the entire evening was ruined.

My PC started to become unresponsive as soon as I discovered that moving the mouse causes the game to lag.

It was a really annoying situation, so I began searching the internet for solutions. Unfortunately, I was unable to find much, so I was forced to conduct my own research and experiment with various settings.

After extensive research and testing, I identified a few problems that could make the game lag when the mouse is moved. Interestingly, some games run flawlessly on the same PC while others do not.

To save you from having to figure it out, I’ll break down these causes in this post and demonstrate how to resolve the problem.

Why Does Moving My Mouse Make Game Lag?

There are a few reasons why mouse movement can slow down a game. Some of the causes have to do with hardware, while others have to do with software.

These are the most typical explanations:

Problems With Your Mouse And CPU

The polling rate of your mouse has a big impact on how you play games.

A mouse’s default polling rate is 1000 hertz (Hz). If your PC’s CPU isn’t very powerful, this polling rate will lag games.

Also, see: Is it safe to game at 90 degrees?

The polling rate determines how frequently it informs the computer of its location. Polling basically entails the CPU asking the mouse how far it has moved since the last time it spoke to it.

It asks 1000 times per second at 1000 hertz. If the CPU is underpowered, this communication between the two parties uses up all of the CPU’s resources and slows down games.

Graphic Card Issues

Certain games demand graphic cards with high performance and fast frame rates.

Games may lag and stutter if your PC’s graphic card is incompatible with their minimum specifications.

During my research, I discovered that Nvidia graphic cards frequently contributed to this problem for many users.

How to Fix Mouse Movement Makes Game Lag?

Whatever the reason for the lag in your games, you may need to try a few different solutions.

If you’re lucky, you might occasionally be able to resolve the issue in a single step. In contrast, I had to try several different strategies before success.

If you experience similar game lag issues, you can try the solutions listed below (for your reference).

Changing The Mouse

This resembles a diagnostic procedure. Make sure your mouse is not the source of the issue first. To play the game with a different mouse is the simplest way to accomplish this.

I’m positive your mouse is to blame if the new one does not cause mouse movements to lag in the game. Replace it and purchase a new one.

Try the other options if changing the mouse does not fix the problem.

Change the Polling Rate of Your Mouse

Since we already know that the polling rate is important in games, the logical first step is to see if changing the polling rate resolves the problem.

Check the default polling rate in the mouse settings. Change it from 1000Hz to 250Hz and try playing the game again. This is the best option in most situations and for most games.

Reduce the Game’s Graphics Settings

Reduce the game’s graphic settings if your CPU is older and you don’t have any immediate plans to replace it.

As a result, the CPU will be able to efficiently handle the various requests the game makes while you play.

Since most games provide presets like “low” and “high” graphical settings, doing this is simple.

To prevent unnecessary lagging and stuttering, read the game’s minimum specifications first and try to meet them.

Run The Game As An Administrator

This may sound strange (and it does!) However, during my research, running the game as an admin helped at least 5 or 6 people fix the problem.

You must locate the.exe file where the game is installed in order to run it as the administrator. Next, select “run as administrator” with a right-click.

Go to properties, select compatibility, and near the bottom, you will see “Run this program as an administrator” if you can’t see it on your version of Windows. Apply by checking the box, then close the window.

However, use caution since running a game as an administrator entails granting specific application access to password-protected regions of your computer.

Upgrade Graphics Card

Lag-related problems may occur if your operating system and graphics card do not have the most recent updates installed.

To optimize their settings and achieve better performances, updating both to the most recent versions is a straightforward solution.

Reinstall Software

Since this is not the best option, I put it at the bottom of the list. However, you’ll have to try this if none of the alternatives above works.

Check to see if the game is functioning correctly by reinstalling it with the drivers and mouse software.

Bottom Line

Experience has taught me how annoying it is when a mouse’s movement causes a game to lag. All of the solutions I’ve provided in this article have been tried and true by other readers. I hope it works for you as well.

Even after attempting all these solutions for a particular game, you might still not achieve your desired outcome. Please let me know in the comments if you find yourself in a similar circumstance so that I can look into it and let you know if there is a solution.

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